October 17, 2005

Is 3 a.m. an hour with special spiritual significance?

It is intriguing, this notion that three a.m. bears special spiritual significance.

We've been reporting about it for years. It spans nations, religions, and the cultural milieu -- with even secular movies working it into their themes.

Most recent was The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which has many of the chilling events happening at this switching (or should would say "witching") hour?

Our review of the movie led to a deluge of e-mail from those who claim their own experiences.

Is it a time when the "veil" is especially thin? Is it an evil hour? Or a combination?

"I got goose bumps when you mentioned three a.m.," wrote John O'Brien of Lake St. Louis, Missouri. "I can't tell you how many times -- hundreds -- I have awakened at precisely three a.m. I have always assumed someone needed prayers. I had no idea it was a common thing."

Common indeed. In devotional circles, rampant. Does Jesus, does the Blessed Mother, rally forces at this time that is also an active hour for witches (the end of their midnight-to-three ceremonies)?

"On one occasion, just recently, I was dreaming that I was being followed by something evil, there was chaos and destruction all around," reports another reader, Caroline Jarzabek of Toronto. "I was trying to get away but I had that dreaded feeling that this entity was getting closer and closer, a deep fear crept in. Just then in the distance I could hear a group of people (maybe angels), praying the Rosary. I immediately joined in and there was instant peace. I woke up and you guessed it -- it was three a.m."

3 Comments:

something similar happened to me that week when was praying for my christian friend who had turned into a muslim cos of her boyfriend. was so sad for her that decided to pray a week for her as often i could, in the morning, on my way to school, at home, in the evening.. i meant it from all my heart talking to jesus and hoping him to save her.. and every night that week i woke up suddenly at 3:02 am with a terrible feeling of being afraid..just like that, without having any nightmares, just woke up and felt scared as never and had this very strong feeling or voice inside me- stop praying for your friend, and you wont be afraid anymore..dont disturb satans plan to steal her soul.. i started praying even more..and Im sure God will do miracles through this.

I've had similar experiences. I'm often woken up at 3.00 am with an overwhelming need to pray for our country. We need to be very vigilent in prayer; our country is under extreme demonic attack. The enemy wants an increasingly secular nation that defies God and the Ten Commandments. Satan is working non-stop to bring about greater access to abortion, more and more sexual immorality and perversion, and a more totalitarian government, hostile to moral conscience and our Judeo-Christian heritage. We all need to be prayer warriors to stem the tide.

For many years, I have struggled with sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations. I always feel a sense of evil approaching when it happens, and when I'm recovered, I look at the clock and it's always around that time; sometimes right at 3, sometimes just before or after. Sometimes the paralysis wakes me up, sometimes I wake up freaked out for no reason, and the air just feels really heavy somehow, as if there is some sort of unseen presence there. I noticed this phenomena when I first started having sleep problems many years ago, before I knew there was any significance to the "witching hour". Now that I do know about it, I hate to be awake during that time because there is something about it that just really gives me the creeps.

34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. [Mark 8:34-35 (RSV); cf. Matt. 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24; John 12:25]